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Denver Nuggets: Alex English vs. Carmelo Anthony

By Grayson Moore

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 19: a general view of the 50 year logo during the game between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns on January 19, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JANUARY 19: a general view of the 50 year logo during the game between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns on January 19, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO – NOVEMBER 9: Michael Curry #12 of the Toronto Raptors looks to pass while defended by Carmelo Anthony #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the game at Air Canada Centre on November 9, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Raptors defeated the Nuggets 89-76. Copyright 2003 NBAE (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO – NOVEMBER 9: Michael Curry #12 of the Toronto Raptors looks to pass while defended by Carmelo Anthony #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the game at Air Canada Centre on November 9, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Raptors defeated the Nuggets 89-76. Copyright 2003 NBAE (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Defense

Neither of these players has historically been hailed as a great defender. But one of them was better on the defensive side of the ball.

Per 100 possessions, English had a defensive rating of 111 as a Nugget. In case you didn’t know, defensive rating is like golf in that you want to have a low score. Anthony maintained a defensive rating of 107 in Denver.

As you saw in their stat lines above, Melo and English have very similar defensive statistics, both posting about 1 steal per game and 0.6 blocks per game. So we have to turn to advanced stats to see who’s really better at knocking the ball away and denying their opponents. English had a steal percentage of 1.3% and a block percentage of 1.1%. Anthony preserved an average steal percentage of 1.6% and a block percentage of 0.9%. So, Anthony was slightly better at stealing the ball and English was slightly better at blocking the ball, despite being the shorter player.

Neither player had a positive defensive box plus/minus. English recorded a D +/- score of -1.5 in his time in Denver, while Melo averaged -1.1 on the Nuggets. Neither made any headlines with their defensive win shares, either. English collected 16.6 in his 11 seasons on the Nuggets, averaging just 1.5 a season. Anthony recorded 19.5 def. win shares in 8 seasons, an average of 2.4 a season.

Carmelo was also better at grabbing defensive boards, as evidenced by his 13.5% defensive rebound percentage in Denver. English grabbed just 9.5% of available defensive rebounds.

Looking at all the stats, it’s clear that neither of these players excelled on the defensive side of the ball in Colorado, but there is also a clear winner in my eyes. Melo proved that he was a better defender than English.